


Swimming Lessons

by ericsonclan



Series: A Pirate's Life For Me AU [19]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, F/F, F/M, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-02-23 04:30:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23672347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: After a close call, Louis and Marlon decide it's time to teach the rest of the Ericson Pirates how to swim. Shenanigans ensue.
Relationships: Aasim/Ruby (Walking Dead: Done Running), Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Prisha/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: A Pirate's Life For Me AU [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683673
Kudos: 8





	Swimming Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)  
> Continuation to Eye of the Storm

After the recent scare with Mitch, everyone was in agreement with Louis when he declared that everybody should learn how to swim. Considering that out of the entire crew only Marlon and Louis knew how to swim, this was a daunting task. Louis wasn’t one to back down from a challenge though. The Ericson Pirates decided to map a course to the nearest unoccupied bay where they could drop anchor and practice their swimming lessons in peace.

As soon as they dropped anchor, Louis set about instructing his crew on the basics of swimming. Before any of them touched the water, they should practice their strokes. They all felt a little silly standing around in a circle and waving their arms in different ways, but Louis insisted that this was crucial to their education. Once he was satisfied that all of them knew the difference between a backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke (Mitch had some choice comments to make about that name), the crew settled in to watch as he attempted to train the first crewmember: A.J.

A.J. proved to be a fast learner. He and Louis floated together in the water, stripped down to their smallclothes to stay as light as possible. Though his first moments in the water were a bit shaky, A.J. quickly acclimated to it and took to the water eagerly, practicing his strokes as Louis swam quietly beside him, Marlon watching from on deck in case there was ever a need for a rescue diver. The crew watched in awe as A.J. went from never having swum to mastering the basic strokes in a matter of minutes.

Clementine, who had been watching the lesson worriedly from the ship’s lesson, found herself smiling as she watched her lover and her kid bonding through the experience. When A.J. emerged from the water victoriously, she gave him a big hug, exclaiming how proud she was of him, then settled down in one of the ship’s deck hammocks between the masts as A.J. took the one above her. What had started out as a worrisome experience for Clementine quickly turned into an unexpectedly enjoyable one as she continued to enjoy the swimming lesson show and the charming swim instructor in particular.

Tennessee was the next in line for swim practice. He was almost petrified with fear at the beginning, his limbs stiff as he entered the water. But with Louis gently guiding him and encouraging him with each gentle instruction, Tenn soon got the hang of things. Soon he was kicking his legs calmly through the water as Louis pulled him along, heaping praises on his quick acclimation.

“Man, it almost makes you wonder,” Aasim noted, “If it’s so easy to learn how to swim, why haven’t more of us done it in the past?”

Prisha gave a derisive snort. “For the women it’s because we’d have been burned at the stake as witches for learning such a forbidden art,”

Aasim’s eyes widened. “OK, that’s a fair point,”

Willy was the third student to take on the task of mastering swimming. At first glance, he seemed like the sort of person to be a natural swimmer. Unlike several other crew members, he had the use of all his limbs and no impairments of any sort, and he was practically leaping off the boat in excitement as he saw his friends gliding along effortlessly. However, as soon as Willy let go of the guide rope and his toes touched the ocean, it was clear that things would not go so smoothly this time.

“I’m sinking! I’m sinking!” Willy screamed, desperately flailing his arms back and forth.

“Now, Willy, let’s try to stay calm,” Louis chided, trying to hold Willy’s body up so he could learn how to float. Willy was having none of it though. Thrashing back and forth, he immediately sank like a rock. Rather than listening to Louis’ instruction and trying to breathe in and loosen his limbs, Willy attempted to climb on top of him, pressing down on Louis’ shoulders and pushing him underwater in his frantic attempts to find a perch above water. Meanwhile, Garbage was circling the deck in a panic, hissing in frantic confusion as she was completely at a loss to where Willy was even though she could hear his desperate cries for help.

“Willy, please, just calm down!” Louis managed before gurgling in protest as Willy pushed his head below water again. He emerged with an angry splutter. “Just stay fucking calm!”

Mitch was watching in amusement from the deck. “That’s it, Willy. Try to get some leverage on him. Assert your dominance,”

Violet rolled her eyes. “Now’s not the time for jokes, Mitch. Willy, calm the fuck down and let Louis teach you the basics!”

When it became clear that Willy was too distressed to hear their shouted advice or stop his unintentional barrage on Louis’ shoulders, Marlon jumped into the water to help. Pulling Willy off of Louis, he hoisted him halfway up the guide rope before handing him off to Mitch, then helped an exhausted Louis back on deck as well. Louis’ chest heaved dramatically as he hit the deck, using one arm to push his dreadlocks up and away from his face and shaking the residual water off.

“Holy shit,” Clementine murmured. She felt somewhat guilty that her first thought hadn’t been for Louis’ well-being, but damn that boy looked hot emerging from the sea.

A.J.’s head popped out from the hammock above her. “Swear,”

“Sorry, kiddo. I got caught up in the moment,”

“If you’re swearing, does that mean I can too?”

“You know the rules. Do as I say…”

“Not as you do. I know,” A.J. rolled his eyes and returned to his hammock, swinging back and forth as he angrily muttered to himself about the unfairness of being the only pirate in the world who couldn’t swear. Clem chuckled. If that was the worst injustice her kid was facing, then she felt comfortable believing she’d provided him with a pretty good life. To find a group like this that was more of a family than a crew was something she’d never even believed possible before they’d come across the Ericson Pirates. Now she couldn’t imagine her life without them.

Since Louis was exhausted from Willy’s aquatic outburst, Marlon took on the training for the next few pirates. Aasim went next and performed as level-headedly as everyone had expected, listening to instructions and asking plenty of questions on “proper” swimming techniques that Marlon tried his best to answer. Omar and Ruby were easy students, and Brody proved competent as well, though everyone but Marlon seemed aware of the death glares Mitch was sending his way as Brody clung onto him for support. Needless to say he was less than attentive when it was his turn to swim with Marlon. After resisting Marlon’s help a few times though and immediately sinking below the surface, Mitch begrudgingly accepted his help, scowling as he paddled along with Marlon gently pulling him back and forth through the water.

Finally, all that was left was the trickiest prospects: Violet, Prisha and Clementine. Violet was clearly frightened at the thought of entering the water, so Prisha volunteered first, taking Louis’ hand as they both entered the water together. Most of the strokes didn’t work as effectively with only one arm, but they would do what they could. First they focused on floating techniques, making sure Prisha could float entirely on her own and even with unstable water as Louis stirred up practice waves and pushed them in her direction. They also attempted a few modified strokes with the power of Prisha’s swimming coming from her legs.

Next was Clementine for whom the opposite approach was necessary, her strokes taking as much power from her core and her arms as possible. She and Louis also worked for some time on flotation, though when it became clear that they were doing more than floating, Marlon interjected with a “Cmon, Louis! We’re wasting daylight!” that had both of them blushing in embarrassment though not repentance.

Last of all was Violet. She put on a brave face as she was lowered down by her crewmates into the water, but her vice grip on Louis’ shoulders made it clear that she was completely terrified. She didn’t flail about though, and as Louis gently whispered encouragement in her ear, holding her close as he treaded water and held her up, the tension in Violet’s shoulders slowly dissipated. She never became fully comfortable and she didn’t let go of Louis for a single second, but they were able to get to a place where she could float fairly well and she had some basic mastery of the strokes before they called it a night. It hadn’t gone perfectly, but now each person had a basic knowledge of how to swim. They would practice more the next day and the next and next after that till all of them could swim like fish. This week was for one thing and one thing only: to learn how to keep themselves and each other safe. That would always be the most important thing for each and every member of the Ericson Pirates.


End file.
